All That I Love
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: Valentine's Day for the Bartlets is never typical with three children and two very busy careers. Pre-series fluff.


Author's Note: Here's some Valentine's Day fluff for everyone. Short and sweet, in honor of the holiday.

 **All That I Love**

Abbey pulled off her surgical gown and gloves and disposed of them in the specified receptacle before washing her hands after surgery.

"That was really incredible, Dr. Bartlet."

She turned to see her newest intern, Dr. Max Arndt, entering the scrub room. "Thanks. That's what experience does. Nothing else to it."

"Well, you stopped that bleed faster than lightening. How do you get your stitches so quick and small and neat like that?" he asked in awe.

Abbey smiled. "Practice. Every spare second you get, you should be suturing. Fruit works well for consistency and texture. Banana peels especially," she advised.

"Rad, thanks!"

Abbey nodded to him as she left. She checked the clock on the wall and saw that her surgery, even with its complications, had finished sooner than she'd expected. It was only five. Jed wasn't expecting her home for dinner that night, unfortunately. She had time for a nap. And boy did she need a nap.

Arndt caught up to her in the hallway. "Dr. Bartlet, I was going to check on your post-ops. I'll have a report for you in an hour or so."

She paused for a moment as she deliberated with herself. "Arndt, do you have a girlfriend?"

The young doctor looked surprised. "I…um…yes, I do. Her name is Nancy."

"I can do my post-op checks. You go see Nancy for Valentine's Day."

"Wow, really? She knows I'm working tonight."

"It's important to keep a little bit of your own life, even in the midst of all this. Go buy some flowers for your girlfriend and be lucky that she understands the life of a surgeon." Abbey didn't divulge to him that she was blessed with the most understanding husband in the world who had happily volunteered to take care of their three daughters and agreed to celebrate Valentine's Day with her on her next day off.

After Arndt left with an extra spring in his step, Abbey stopped by the nurse's station to collect all her charts and make her rounds, checking on all her patients. By the time she was finished, she was practically dead on her feet. She needed to sleep for an hour or so before getting back to work.

"I'll be in Room 209 if anyone needs me," she told the nurses. Abbey knew she was supposed to sleep in the on-call room like all the other doctors did, but they had an empty bed on her ward, so she might as well use it. Abbey never liked sleeping in a room with other people anyway. Anyone other than Jed that close when she slept made her too uncomfortable to get any rest.

Sometime later, Abbey was awoken slightly by the sound of the door opening. She did her best to pretend it wasn't happening. She couldn't ignore, however, when a wiggly little body was deposited onto the bed and began nuzzling up to her. Abbey blinked her eyes open in the dark and turned to see her two-year-old clutching at her scrubs in her tiny little hands.

Abbey chuckled. "Hey, baby girl."

"Hi, Mommy."

The light clicked on. Abbey squinted in the sudden brightness and saw Jed, Liz, and Ellie standing nearby. "What are you all doing here?" she asked, sitting up and taking Zoey into her arms.

"Valentine's Day is for being with the people you love, so we couldn't really celebrate without you," Ellie said in a quiet voice.

Abbey's heart melted at her daughter's words. She reached her arm out, gesturing for Ellie to come over. Ellie sat on the side of the bed and Abbey pulled her into her embrace. "Come on, Lizzie, get in here."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, a new and very typical practice for the fourteen-year-old. But she joined her sisters in her mother's big hug.

Abbey got strangely emotional, having her girls in her arms at her hospital. She pressed dozens of kisses on all their faces until they all pulled away in giggles. She beamed at her children, overcome with her love for them all.

Jed looked at his wife and daughters with overwhelming pride and adoration. Four beautiful, brilliant ladies that he was blessed enough to call his own. Abbey looked over to him and their eyes met; it took his breath away. After so many years, just a look from her was enough to bowl him over.

"Elizabeth, take your sisters to pick out some chocolates for Mom." He took a twenty out of his wallet and handed it to his eldest. Ellie took Zoey by the hand and led her out of the room after Liz.

Jed made his way over to the bed and handed Abbey the bouquet of roses he had bought at the florist on the way over. She grinned as she took the flowers, not having noticed him holding them when he came in. Her nose wrinkled in that happy way he loved.

"These are beautiful, hon, thank you."

"Not as beautiful as you," he replied.

Abbey laughed. "Very smooth, Professor."

Jed sat beside her on the edge of the bed. "You know, it's been a couple years since I was a working professor."

"Yeah, but State Senator doesn't have the same kind of sexy ring to it," she pointed out.

He chuckled. "Okay, well I'll work on getting a sexier title for you."

They smiled at each other quietly for a moment before leaning in for a soft kiss.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Jed whispered.

"Back at you." Abbey put the flowers on the bed beside her so she could pull her husband in for a deeper kiss.

They fell backward and made out on the bed for a few minutes before the door opened. Jed and Abbey scrambled up and away from each other. Abbey tried to smooth her hair back and pull her scrubs back to where they should be, once her husband took his hands out of them.

Liz furrowed her brows at her parents. "You guys are worse than the teenagers at my school."

"Well, how do you think we ended up with three of you?" Jed grumbled.

Abbey smacked his arm and tried to hold in her giggles.

Ellie looked at her big sister questioningly, but Liz waved her away. Instead, Liz nudged Zoey forward. The littlest Bartlet ran over to her mother. "Mommy, we gotted you candy!"

"Got, not gotted," Abbey corrected gently. She pulled Zoey up on her lap and opened the heart-shaped box of chocolate. "Okay, everyone can have two pieces. But after that, I have to get back to work." All the Bartlets attacked the box, grabbing rich chocolate truffles out of their little paper wrappers and devouring them gluttonously.

A few minutes later, Jed and the girls had to say goodbye; Abbey had an angioplasty to perform before she could go home. But she was grinning like an idiot all through the evening at the hospital.

"Dr. Bartlet?" one of the scrub nurses asked, the question implied in her tone.

"My family came to visit me earlier. I couldn't spend Valentine's Day at home, so my husband drove over an hour with our three girls to bring me flowers and chocolate," Abbey told her.

"That's so sweet!"

Abbey nodded. "I'm a very lucky woman." Even as the words came out of her mouth, Abbey couldn't help but notice that it was a severe understatement. As she threaded the balloon through her patient's arteries, she was distinctly aware that she had everything she could ever want. Wonderful children, a husband she loved more than life itself, and the most exciting, fulfilling career imaginable. Everything was good in that moment. Their lives were always changing, but Abbey wanted for nothing, even if just for that one day.


End file.
